


Nephele versus the Cyclops

by odiko_ptino



Series: Featured Character: Hermes [3]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Gen, just pure fluff and cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 22:16:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17030985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odiko_ptino/pseuds/odiko_ptino
Summary: Hermes recruits a naughty young nymph for Artemis' retinue.





	Nephele versus the Cyclops

The figure isn’t a giant, but he might be.  He’s tall, maybe as tall as the pine stands surrounding the little cove; and he must be twice as broad across as any normal man.  He’s smudged with ash from the forge, hiding his terrifying features – the Cyclops, come for them, just astheir mother warned them!  Arges or Steropes or –

The figure throws its head back and utters a bone-chilling, guttural howl to the heavens, before lumbering towards the girls, arms outstretched.

The girls shriek, running towards the safety of their mother, stumbling with hands over their eyes so as not to see the terrible figure.

“GRAAAAAARGH!!  I…EAT… NAUGHTY LITTLE GIRLS!!!!” The Cyclops bellows, snatching at one and narrowly missing.  She squeals and darts away, short legs pumping as fast as she can.

The next one isn’t so lucky.

The Cyclops staggers after the cluster of little nymphs trying to escape him and nabs one.  The little girl screeches as the giant arms grab for her and connect, lifting her off the ground, ignoring her wild kicks.

“AHAHA… THE NAUGHTIEST ONE OF ALL!” he roars, and plunges his face down.  

The girl’s shrieks rebound through the grove, although they quickly turn to laughter.  Suddenly the illusion is shattered and it’s just Hermes, smudged with ash and blowing into the girl’s belly while she kicks at him.

“Are you sorry you disobeyed your mother now?” he asks mischievously, grinning at her.

She giggles, still wound up, and shoves at his face.  He pretends to drop her and lets her scramble away while he roars again, turning to the wide-eyed nymphs nearby.    

“MORE NAUGHTY CHILDREN!! I FEAST TONIGHT!!”

Even knowing he’s Hermes, the thought of a terrifying Cyclops chasing them sends the young nymphs into a flurry of panic, and they dash off in all different directions.  

The Lady of the Ocean, Tethys, reclines nearby, in thecove.  She isn’t convinced this act will scare the good behavior into them, but she won’t say no to letting Hermes babysit them for a moment.  Let them burn off a little energy.  Fifty misbehaving Okeanid nymphs can wear a mother’s patience thin.

————————————

It’s a while before they notice that one of the nymphs is missing.  Tethys briefly panics; butHermes, as the Herald-God, has the ability to pinpoint any person’s location within moments (an ability granted because what if Zeus needed a message delivered to them?).  He assures her that the girl is nearby and volunteers to retrieve her, since he was probably the one to scare her off.  

He pretends to look high and low, calling and calling – no answer.  Whew, she must be  _scared_!

… or that’s what he thinks until he “finds” her, at last, crouched under the tiny cave formed by a partially-uprooted tree.  The little girl is sitting with her arms crossed over her chest and a serious scowl on her face.  She’s  _pissed_.  

He hovers and lowers himself upside down over the edge of the little cave, his grinning face appearing to her.  “Hellooooooo… any idea where I can find a sweet little nymph around here?  I’ve been looking and looking, but I can’t seem to find her!”

“Look somewhere else!” she says, throwing a dirt clod at him that misses by a long shot.  

“Are you Nephele?  ‘Little cloud?’” he asks, pretending to squint in confusion.  “Hmm… are you sure you’re not Zeus?  I see thunderclouds in here…”

Her scowl intensifies. “Hermes!  I’m mad at you!” she says forbiddingly, folding herself up tighter.

Hermes makes a shocked face. “At  _me_?  My gracious! No one’s ever been mad at Hermes before! I must have really messed up!”

“You did!  You  _tricked_  me!”

“Tricked you!”

“You pretended to be a Cyclops but you were really just a jerk!”  Her frown is intense; her lip jutting out… and trembling just a little, he notices.  Ohh, dear. Wounded pride.  Probably scared by the Cyclops act, then embarrassed about being scared.  Normally, in a case of wounded pride (especially if it was caused by Hermes in the first place), he would happily poke the injured party further – just ask Apollo – but he has a soft spot for kids.  

So he puts his hands over his heart, feigning hurt, and drifts down, turning himself upright. “Oh, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.  You see, I wasn’t here to pester you atall!  I mean, gosh, why would I try?  Everyone knows you’re too brave to fall for that kind of joke!”

She’s still glowering, but suspiciously.  She’s being redirected, slightly.  He presses on, putting his hands up beseechingly and giving her his most innocent expression.

“I was just here to tease your sisters, not  _you_.”

“You said you were here to eat the naughty children!” she accuses him.

Hermes bites his lip to fight his laughter and still needs to put a hand over his mouth before he recovers.  “Were you the naughty one who pushed your mama’s patience?”

Little Nephele stands up then, looking angry and upset and making tiny fists.  The nymph has old scabs on her knees from where she’s skinned them, and twigs in her hair, and a tear in her dress.

“I just like doin’ stuff! I play really hard but that doesn’t mean I’m bad!”

“Hey, hey… c’mon… it’s me, Hermes!” he edges closer, holding up his hands and still smiling.  “You think someone like me cares about kids who play really hard?  That’s how I was when I was a kid, too!  I think that’s cool!”

She’s wavering, and Hermes takes his chance.  He pulls her in for a hug.

“C’mere.  I don’t eat any kids, good or bad, and I promise, I wouldn’t punish a naughty little girl.  Hell, I’d give her my blessing, and I will.”

Little Nephele accepts the hug and Hermes feels the peace of knowing he’s smoothed over some ruffled feathers.

“Your mama was worried, though.  You shouldn’t run away from her like that,you know.”

“I know,” she sniffles. “I just always feel better out here.”

Hmm.  “Well, tell you what,” he says, pulling back and booping her nose.  “If you promise to pretend to be scared when I come by acting like the Cyclops – you know, to scare your sisters – then I promise I’ll tell your mama what a good girl you really are.”

She finally grins for the first time.  “ _Deal_.”

——————————

He does in fact talk to Tethys, though what he tells her is different from what he promised.  Tethys happens to agree with him, though they both think Nephele should be a little bit older.  Maybe nine years old, insteadof five.  

So Hermes waits, and checks in on her from time to time – as discussed, he pretends to be the Cyclops when Tethys needs her daughters straightened out; and Nephele shrieks and runs around with her sisters, and shares a huge, not-subtle wink with Hermes afterwards.

Just to make sure she’s not losing her spark, Hermes tests her occasionally by tossing acorns at her head, or pretending to steal her wooden bear toy, or telling tall tales.  She responds with the right amount of sass and childish aggression – retaliating by throwing pine cones at him, trying to steal his hat, or attempting to out-lie him.  

Naughtiest girl, indeed!

When the day finally comes, he finds her as usual among the trees, and dumps an armload of pine needles and leaves on top of her head.  

She clenches her fists and roars after him as he laughs,leading her back to… Artemis.

Artemis’ eyebrows shoot up to her hairline as she hears some of the curse words Nephele is using (learned from Uncle Hermes, of course).

Nephele draws up short, looking shocked.  Hermes floats behind Artemis, looking smug.

“You see?  Perfect foryour retinue.  You should let me do all the recruiting for you!”

“Well, I gotta admit, it’s a strong first impression,” Artemis snickers, looking Nephele over.  “So she’s the one who called you a jerk?”

“On the very first day I met her,” Hermes brags.  “She was hiding from the Cyclops.”

Artemis laughs again. “The one who eats naughty little girls?”

“Yup!  And she told me it wasn’t fair, because she only seems poorly-behaved because she plays hard.”

Nephele has been silent, shocked, until this.  She now draws herself upright defiantly.  “Yeah, and it’s true!  Lady Artemis, I don’t know what kind of crap Lord Hermes has been telling you, but -”

“Do you know what a retinue is, kiddo?” Artemis interrupts, looking amused.  Hermes’ shoulders are shaking with laughter.  

“…No…”

“Well.  It’s my gang.  Nymphs who play too hard, and run around in the woods?  They join my retinue.  If they want.”  Artemis puts her hands on her knees, bending over to be eye-to-eye with Nephele.  

“I played pretty hard back when I was a kid – still do.  Hermes says you’re pretty tough.  Is that true?”

Nephele glances at Hermes suspiciously.  He makes that wide-eyed innocent expression at her.  “…Yeah. Pretty tough.”

“Good.  I like that.”  Artemis straightens up.  “I talked to your ma.  She said it’s fine if you want to join my retinue.  We need some more tough girls who don’t always behave themselves.  Especially if they’re not scared of Cyclopes.”

“Can I fire a bow and arrow??”

“Yeah, sure!  You can join the hunting party when you’re older. And you can work on your aim by throwing stuff at Hermes.”

“Hey!”

Artemis ignores his pout with a grin.  “So what do you say, Nephele?  Wanna be in my retinue?”

Nephele, with two skinned knees and a torn chiton and her hair cut short because she’s always getting leaves and tangles in it anyway, grins at Artemis and Hermes.

“ _Deal_!”


End file.
